Here's what I got from Santa. And, it's for you, too, if you want it!

boswell

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When you don't need to look at your song-book, anymore, there is still a lot of work left for you to do. So brace yourself. You'll have only crossed the first hurdle.

You won't really know whether the song is yours, or not, until you find an audience to perform it for. Take it to the street. Or, take it to an open mic. In my case, I never know whether a song is working, or not, until I try to busk it.

Don't be too discouraged if, despite your hard efforts, a song is simply not about to work for you. When (Notice I didn't say 'If!') that happens, set it aside and move on. You might figure out a way to make it work, later, perhaps when you've climbed up a technical notch, or two. Finding repertory material is not always fast, or easy. Although sometimes one might 'drop out of the sky' for you. Somewhere, Stefan Grossman talks about taking a whole year on one song, and then a second year to figure out how to sing it, while playing it.

Two songs that I struggled with years ago, but had to abandon, recently and unexpectedly sprang to life for me, as finger-style pieces for ukulele. They're both Lennon songs. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is generating a lot of revenue and positive response for me, this holiday season. The secret with it was changing the way I play the root chord, which allowed me to free up my index finger.

(Think of a Bb chord shape in C6 tuning. Move it up two frets. Now it's a C, and you can leave the fourth string open, as its part of a C chord. (In my case, however, I use D6 tuning, so I actually play the song in D, but I'll explain this in C6 so I don't lose or confuse you. John did it in A, but that's impossibly high for me.) Free up your index finger by holding the top two strings with your middle finger as a partial barre. Now you can use your index to play the D note on the second fret of the third string (the "is" in "War is Over!". Now, stretch your ring finger up to the fifth fret for the "O-" in "Over" and back down to the fourth fret for the "-ver.") Hope that helps! And, by the way, BB readers know I'm always prone to put in a plug for D6 tuning. Try it! You might like it! I hope it turns the lights on for you, too! There's a very good reason why all those old songbooks show uke chord boxes with D6 chord names... ; )

Then, one of my fellow buskers started playing Imagine on his guitar. So, that prompted me to take another look at it. I was noodling with it the other day while I was waiting for a busking spot to open up. Lo and behold! I found a way to play it in A, which suits my voice. It's only a matter of days, now, until it's going to be the newest arrow in my ukulele quiver. These are both potent songs for me, and I find I have to be careful I don't choke up to the point where I can't sing!

That's exactly what happened to me at an open mic last Tuesday...I had to stop Happy Xmas, and apologize to the crowd for my weeping! I said a few words about John Lennon, and his message, and how his assassination changed the world thirty-one years ago. Or, at least how it changed the world for old hippies, like me. Then, I sucked it up, and started the song again, and managed to get through it the second time. Well, the same thing happened to me this afternoon the first time I tried to play it at a subway station. I've learned the hard way to avoid looking certain passersby in the eye, because I can tell by their body language that I've touched that nerve in them. And, if I see their grief, they're quite liable to tip me over the edge. I have to concentrate on the song, and stop evoking John Lennon's ghost!

Now that I think about it, this hearkens back to some advice a guitar guru offered me last summer. In paraphrase, he said that a lot of players don't realize that they have to learn to practice concentration just as much as they learn to practice music. I really benefitted from hearing that! And, now I realize it's precisely what I needed to hear again.

You may say I'm a dreamer...

Festive Greetings!
Jimmy J
 
Thank you Jimmy J and Merry Christmas!
 
Awesome insights to share, thank you.

And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun..!
 
Another interesting fact is the linguisitc ubiquity of the verbs used to describe the act of children playing, and the act of playing music. In nearly every language and culture, it's the same verb. That's a tidbit I learned from Bob Brozman.

Somewhere, years ago, I read someone describe performance as 'intellectual tight-rope walking.' When you 'lean over the edge of your stage a bit,' your audience senses that, and they are then captivated by their own fear that you are about to 'fall on your face.' The secret really is concentrating on the task at hand, whether you be walking the wire, or trodding the boards, or crooning on the street-corner.

Another issue that crops up for me is my lachrymose response to feelings of euphoria. I actually had to go visit my doctor after attending my first ukulele festival in 2007. I didn't understand why I was walking around feeling faint and weepy at the sight of smiling people and kids, and even waggy-tailed dogs that I'd chance upon, while merely walking down the street!

I was scared, frankly! I was afraid I was going to faint! Or, that I'd suddenly developed narcolepsy! Or, something even more dire! When I related my experience of 'bringing the house down' at the festival's open mic, the doctor told me that I was suffering from a euphoric response. He told me I simply wasn't used to receiving that large an amount of audience adulation.

I suppose because I diligently labour away at learning how to sing and play and perform, and I've done so practically everyday, ever since that first festival, I've slowly become a better performer. So, now, when I perform some new piece of music, and one that I personally find particlularly potent, like Lennon/Ono's Happy Xmas, I am prone to succumb to these same weird feelings of euphoria.

Last spring (Or, was it the summer before?), I went through a spate of blowing chords, and forgetting lyrics, and it was embarrassing, as well as scary. I posted about it on a guitar forum. That's where I received the advice to about the importance of practicing concentration as much as practicing the music. That worked!

And concentration is now proving to be the solution to my inappropriate reaction to performance euphoria. So, my hope is that by talking about it here, it will not only help me, but maybe it might help you, gentle reader, overcome any performance anxiety you might be prone to, too.

For example, do you suffer from stage fright? Learn and apply a few tools of concentration, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when it dispels all the tangible and intangible symptoms of your nervousness.

Cheers! And Happy New Year!
 
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